Monday, November 25, 2013

Ikea Hack: Malm Mirrored Dresser

Hey Everyone! I'm so flattered by everyone's interest in how to do my latest DIY project! You guys make me feel so fancy :). Anyway, I figured this would be the easiest way to explain to everyone how to do it. I could have given a quick run down on Instagram but there were a few things I would have done differently if I had to do it again so I'll be sure to explain those. Also, I wish I had taken pictures but I didn't know this would be so well received! So I'll try my hardest to explain things but feel free to comment with questions. Thanks again for loving my project, guys! MALM IKEA HACK ...AND A COUPON CODE!!!!!!!Total Cost: $103.00-$153.00 depending on the furniture you choose.

Do you love it, Dolls? I had been seeing these mirrored dressers around...

Like these ones. For $500 and $800, respectively. And those were the low prices I found! Yeeeah. Not in MY budget. Then I found these overlays on Pinterest:

Seriously, these girls are geniuses. How their company works is s follows: They make these overlays that are made to fit Ikea furniture. On their website, you can even shop by Ikea piece!!! Also, if you already have a piece of furniture that's not from Ikea but needs some sprucing up, they do custom orders. The other thing I love about this company is that their customer service is wonderful. I contacted them with a few questions and they were so prompt and friendly! I recommend these girls and their company to anyone! Also, when they heard I was doing a blog post about this project, they offered to give me a coupon code to share!!! Scroll down to the bottom to find it! Tell your friends! They really are the greatest. Anyway, back to business. SUPPLIES:-Dresser or other Ikea piece, or any ugly piece of furniture, for that matter. -Overlays from myoverlays.com-Mirror cut to desired size -Liquid Nails or similar construction-duty adhesive-Rubbing alcohol-Gloves (optional but recommended.)STEP ONE: Get a dresser.I needed a dresser/table/something to replace the U-G-L-Y fishtank stand in my living room. So, for the space, the 3-drawer Malm dresser fit my needs perfectly!

This baby retails at Ikea for $79.99 and comes in a few different colors. That's not a bad price for a dresser. But of course, even $80.00 seemed a little pricey for this cheapskate so I took to ksl.com . I got really LUCKY and found this exact one, only a few months old and untouched for $30.00. I have seen them periodically since but you need to keep your eye out. They go pretty fast! STEP TWO: Order your overlays.I snatched the used dresser up and ordered my overlays. I chose the Jasmine but they have a million cute patterns on their blog. Literally the hardest part of this project is choosing which pattern you want. It took me days. STEP THREE: Get your mirror.When my shiny new overlays arrived, I headed to Lowe's.

Life Pro Tip: Did you know Lowe's sells big sheets of mirror and WILL CUT THEM TO SIZE FOR FREE???

That's right. And don't let the grumpy ladies in the carpet department tell you they don't have mirror to cut, only glass. They are wrong. You might, however, take that mirror that you had cut (you know, the mirror that carpet ladies said they don't have) back to them to prove a point...

If you live by me, the glass cutting is on aisle 15. Just so you know.

The size you need for this project is the 30" x 24" piece. Guess how much that piece costs? $11.50. You read that right. $11 American dollars. It seems like robbery doesn't it? This size is almost meant to be for this dresser because you just happen to need three 8"x30" strips. So you have it cut and there's no waste. Don't worry if the glass cutting guy is a little inexperienced and chips the edges, they won't show.

STEP FOUR: Don't leave Lowe's without your adhesive.

You need glue for this project. My Overlays recommends using Liquid Nails construction adhesive. This is the kind I used:

I think it was about $3.00-ish. A sound investment because I didn't even use half the tube. Because I'm helpful, here is a tip: the Lowe's by me has this by the paint. It's DIFFERENT than the caulk-style liquid nails on a different aisle. This stuff is by the Gorilla Glue. Ask a friendly Lowe's associate...not the grumpy ladies in the carpet section. Not that I am bitter. STEP FIVE: Glue everything together!!!First, tip the dresser so it's lying on its back. Science tells us that trying to glue things while the dresser is upright will only result in disaster due to the natural phenomenon called gravity. For your convenience, I have linked the wikipedia page on gravity so you can find out more. Tips for Glue Success:So you have your dresser on its back. First, rub everything down with rubbing alcohol. The mirrors (front and back) and the overlays (back) and the dresser drawers so everything is squeaky clean and ready to stick. Don't use windex or anything else. Just rubbing alcohol. It preps the surfaces nicely for adhesion.When I cleaned the mirrors, I wore some gloves. Actually, I wore gloves the whole time. Mainly to prevent getting fingerprints on everything the second after I cleaned it. I recommend this method. First thing you will notice: the mirror is about 1/2" too short on either side. No need to panic! the border of the overlay will cover this. According to the online tips for the Liquid Nails, you should put a bead of glue on the surface to be glued, apply to the surface to which you are gluing, then immediately pull it apart again, count to 3 and place it back down. Since I read this AFTER I completed the project, I didn't do this. I think mine took longer to dry this way, but it still worked. The choice is yours. So place a thin bead of glue all around the edge of the back of the mirror. Then, if it gives you a sense of peace (like it did for me), draw a big "X" across the back of the mirror. You only need a very thin bead of glue. I only used about half the tube for this project. Keep this in mind and don't get crazy. Again, I only used about half the tube for this project. Once you have your mirrors glued onto the dresser, clean them one more time for good measure. It will be a lot harder to clean them once the overlays are on, so best to do it now. On the back of the overlays, draw another bead around the border of the overlay. Then, dot the glue in increments and in the corners/edges of the pattern. Especially if you have littles, you want to make sure all the edges are glued down so little fingers can't pry the overlay off...or the vaccum to get caught on an edge and rip it off...There are several scenarios ending in disaster. Just make sure all the edges are glued. Again, don't get crazy with the glue. Especially at this point in the game. The glue is going to spread when you press it on the mirror and you don't want globs of glue pressing out from underneath the overlays. It dries clear, but it's still visible against the mirror. Trust me, a little dab'll do ya. Once you pressed the overlays to the mirrors, check for any spots of glue that may have overspilled the edges of the overlays and, using your nail, scrape it off while it's still wet and and clean the smudge you left behind with alcohol. STEP SIX: Weigh down. Now, gather some heavy items. Preferrably in your immediate area so you don't have to walk around too much. Oh wait, maybe that's just my laziness. Some recommendations: coffee table books, potted plants, canned goods, an old dog that doesn't move very often, milk jugs filled with water, the list could go on..STEP SEVEN: Wait.This part is painful. You should wait AT LEAST 24 hours. Since I didn't do the method of pulling the surfaces apart and sticking them back together, mine took about 48 hours to dry. The dresser sat on its back in the living room for two days straight with books on it like a monument to my DIY neuroticism. I put a "Pardon Our Dust, We're Remodeling to Serve You Better" sign on it just in case company arrived. Once the appropriate amount of time has elapsed, gird up your loins, hold your breath and tip the dresser back upright. Everything will be fine but in the moment, I'd say a brief second of panic is normal. Once all these steps are completed, you are done! Congratulations!!!Now, please roll your mouse over the fish widget below and enjoy the relaxing scene as the fish follow it. My gift to you.

***GUESS WHAT!!!!***

Cheryle at myoverlays.com is offering a discount on your order just for being my friend!!! Enter CheapoCopyCat15 at checkout for a 15% discount!!! What did I tell you, these girls are GREAT.

Hi Megan! I made this dresser in November last year so it's not very old. I can say that it is holding up very well! I use it as extra storage in my living room so it doesn't get as much use as, say, a bedroom dresser but it is used rather regularly. I haven't had any trouble at all with things coming loose. I would add that it has suffered several hard slams from my big German shepherd running through the house and it's held up just fine. I think as long as you use construction grade adhesive like the kind mentioned in the post, you should be just fine. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask! Good luck!

Hi! Your dresser is GORGEOUS! Amazing job! About the mirrors cut from Lowes...did you notice sharp, dangeous edges after they cut it for you? I went there and the guy recommended I get them professionally cut because the sharp edges are VERY sharp after cutting and may be dangerous. Just wondering about your experience with that. Thank you! Again, fabulous job!!

Hi there! Thank you for the compliment! You made my day! And I'm so flattered that you're interested in making one too! Do it!!! To answer your question about the mirror, I can see what the employee was saying. When I got them, I had to be careful carrying them because the cut edges were sharp. BUT, at least with my project, the overlays cover the edges so they aren't exposed and the edges are also sandwiched between the front of the drawer and the overlay so you aren't touching the raw edge of the mirror when you are using the drawer. I have not had any issues with the sharp edges being a problem whatsoever. In fact, last month, my two toddler-age godsons were at my house for a month and were opening the drawers frequently to get toys out and we had no issues with little hands either. I hope this makes sense and if you have any more questions, please ask!

This looks like a fantastic project and you have given me inspiration to update some of my furniture. Have you any ideas where I could get these items done in the good old United Kingdom please? This is a must for 2015 Many many thanks for the idea HON. Hope you don't mind me pinning it on Pinterest.

Hi, Mel! Wow, your nice words made my day! Thanks so much! And from the UK?! AWESOME!!!! The downside is that I've never been across the pond and I'm afraid I can't give you very good advice on where to find supplies! The girls from O'verlays are extremely nice and I'm thinking if you email them, they may be able to work something out for you! They do custom work so if you send them the dimensions of your existing furniture, they could make something for you. Also, their website is full of amazing ideas with really simple overlays. I thought about making some of the simpler, straight-line-only designs myself by cutting particle board into strips and gluing it together, though I've not tried it yet. Hmmm, I know I'm not being a lot of help. Pinning my dresser on Pinterest would be the greatest compliment of all. Thank you so much for your interest and please let me know if you have other questions!

Hello! I love love love this design, you have inspired me so much with your creativity! I'm slightly worried though. I am planning on doing this project on my six drawer Malm dresser, which basically has the same dimensions as your dresser, just doubled in width. According to the IKEA website, the width of the drawer is 31.58 inches, and the mirror you used was 30 inches in width. I also plan on using the Jasmine overlays, which have a width of 31.31 inches. I know you said that the overlay covered the extra space between the wood and the mirror but I am still worried. Should I just buy a larger mirror and cut it down to size? I just don't want to waste the money and have the small extra mirror pieces.Thank you in advance!

Hi Tobi, I'm sorry for my late reply - I was on some work travel and didn't have a chance to respond. Thank you SO much for your interest in my project. It's so flattering! That's a tricky question. So I just took some measurements and, when centered, the mirror is slightly less than 3/4" from the edge on both sides. The border around the jasmine panel is 3/4" so it just covers it by just a hair. That's not a problem for me but if you would rather not risk it, then I would get the larger mirror and have it cut down just to be safe. The only reason that I used the size of mirror I did was because it cut into 3 equal pieces with no waste. You can always buy the bigger size just to be on the safe side. Hmmmm....did that make any sense at all? Hope it helps! Let me know if you have any more questions!

Love, love, love this! Quick question though for you...I have a round side table that I would love to do the mirror thing on. Do you know if lowes can cut round pieces? I guess I could go ask you lowe's but you seem very knowledgeable :)

Hi Ginny, I'm sure by now you are waaaaayyyy past doing this project but I thought I'd get back to you anyway. You sent your email when I was attending a training academy for work out of State and I didn't have access to this email account very often. Ooo, a round side table. That sounds pretty! I am not sure that they cut round pieces, in fact, I'm pretty sure they only cut straight lines. If you see this, please let me know what you ended up doing. Thanks!

Hi Meredith, I'm sure by now you are waaaaayyyy past doing this project but I thought I'd get back to you anyway. You sent your email when I was attending a training academy for work out of State and I didn't have access to this email account very often. The thickness I ordered for the Overlays I used were the 1/8th inch. I'm sure this isn't helpful now but there is your answer! If you tried this project, I'd love to know how it turned out for you!

Hello I am so happy i found your websiteI have been wanting to mirror some ikea furniture but i never knew how to go about itYour work is beautiful

Ok so my question is did the mirrors cut for you at lowes end up having beveled edges like see here http://www.lowes.com/pd_68798-13437-1819_1z0vfl5Z1z0vssfZ1z11ook__?productId=1097703&pl=1 and tell me if this was the exact one you purchased and if not if you could give me the lowes web id number for the kind you purchased. Thank You in advance.

Hello and thank you for the nice compliment! This is not the mirror I purchased. Unfortunately, I don't know what the web ID is. When you go into a lowe's store, there is a glass cutting section where they have huge sheets of glass and mirror. Nothing fancy, just big, long, plain sheets. I just asked them to cut one of the pieces to the dimensions I needed. I know that's not very helpful, but that's just what I did. I hope it turns out for you!

Hi Angela, sorry for taking a bit to get back to you. My dresser is still in great shape! One edge of the overlays did come unglued recently but I just glued it back with some super glue and haven't had an issue since. Keep in mind, however, that I don't have any kids so that could be a main reason it's stuck together so well! I do, however, now have a very naughty puppy who likes to scratch at the drawers since that is where we keep his toys. So far he hasn't been able to rip it apart. Hope this is helpful!

What exactly is that? A classifieds section of your local news? It looks like most things are found in Utah... Do they ship to other states? Or is using that site only a viable option near you? If it's just a classifieds section of local news, I assume I can look for the equivalent to what's in my area....

Hi Tia, thanks so much for the compliment! Yes, you are exactly right. KSL.com is the classified section of our local news station here in Utah. It's open to anyone in the Utah/Idaho area. I would imagine you could ask the seller if they would be willing to ship something to you as I don't think there is any prohibition on that. I honestly don't know if it's a unique idea that KSL came up with or if it's a nation-wide trend with news stations? I sure hope your local area has something similar because I love it! Good luck and happy treasure hunting!